


Oversight

by apathyinreverie



Series: The Jounin Mascot Babysitter Club [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: BAMF Hatake Kakashi, Family, Gen, Kakashi Raises Naruto, Parent Hatake Kakashi, Protective Hatake Kakashi, Protective Shiranui Genma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-02-06
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22579456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apathyinreverie/pseuds/apathyinreverie
Summary: "What do you mean,'he retired from ANBU'?" Genma asks incredulously. "The only way Kakashi would ever stop being ANBU is if he were missing both legs and physicallycouldn'tgo on missions anymore. And even then, he'd likely still attempt to just have his nin-dogs carry him on missions instead."“Don’t ask me," Raidou shrugs at him, before leaning in, clearly about to share a particularly juicy bit of information. "Apparently, Kakashi even asked for sometime off. The chuunin at the mission desk just about fainted from shock."-Or, Genma goes snooping.
Relationships: Hatake Kakashi & Shiranui Genma, Hatake Kakashi & Uzumaki Naruto, Shiranui Genma & Uzumaki Naruto
Series: The Jounin Mascot Babysitter Club [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1624759
Comments: 73
Kudos: 1850





	Oversight

Genma is eighteen when the Kyuubi attacks Konoha and he loses almost everyone precious to him, loses almost everyone he counts as _his_.

The years that follow are filled with trying to pick up the pieces of himself, trying to rebuild his village, trying to help his friends keep whatever remains of themselves together.

He does his best. Most days he thinks it's still not nearly enough.

Even with friends like Guy and Hayate and Raidou, they all lost too much. Not only people - friends, family, comrades - but also _faith_. Faith in Konoha's ability to always come out on top. Faith that as long as they just work _together_ they would be able to protect all they hold dear.

That day taught them otherwise.

When the Kyuubi attacked, Konoha's shinobi threw themselves between that mass of malevolent chakra and their village, without thought or hesitation. Anything to protect their home.

They paid for it, with blood and limbs and lives. And they gave it all freely.

But in the end, it had still taken _their very own Hokage_ sacrificing his life in order to save them all. That day they all learned that Konoha isn't nearly as invincible as they had all made themselves believe.

Of course, some are more lucky than others. But Genma is certainly not amongst those.

Genma, who grew up an orphan and then finally found a sort-of home when he was assigned as the Hokage's guard, spending so much time in and around the Namikaze household, and immediately hitting it off with Kushina. They'd been two peas in a pod. Like she'd been a long-lost – particularly violence-prone – older cousin, maybe even a sister of sorts.

Some days he misses her and the little family she had been building for herself with a ferocity that still takes the breath out of his very lungs.

But as a shinobi, he is more than aware of the futility of wishing for things to be different, to be as they once were. He is fully aware of the futility of wishing for his family back.

Well, that is, until he is twenty-one and he _somehow_ finds his family again.

Or rather, they end up finding _him_.

Even if he's the one who quite literally stumbles across them while sneaking around, trying to figure out why one of the people he was sure he knew everything worth knowing _about_ , was behaving completely outside of the norm.

+++

"What do you mean, _'he retired from ANBU'_?" Genma asks Raidou and Hayate rather incredulously, almost accusingly.

They are at their favorite bar, celebrating Genma’s return from his three week long escort mission to Suna – and, boy, do civilian merchant caravans move _slowly_ – as is their custom whenever one of them comes back from a longer mission.

To 'keep each other up to speed on the going-ons in Konoha'. Which is honestly just a pre-scheduled gossiping sessions, but still.

And, apparently, there is a particular piece of news that currently has Konoha abuzz. News about one of their own.

Only years of practice allow Genma to hide his utter incredulity as he adds on, "The only way Kakashi would ever _stop_ being ANBU is if he were missing both legs and physically _couldn't_ go on missions anymore. And even then, he'd likely try to argue that his hands were still fully functional and his dogs could still carry him on missions instead."

Across from him, Hayate is grinning – most likely at the truth of the comment – even as he pours them all some more sake.

Raidou just shrugs, “Don’t ask me. I just heard that he's back on the jounin mission roster, which everyone has taken to mean he's retired from ANBU." His friend's lips quirk in amusement. "Still intact limbs or not."

Genma scowls, reaching out to slam back his newly-poured drink. "You sure the Hokage didn't just order him to stick around?" he asks rather suspiciously.

"Not as far as I know." And then Raidou is leaning in, clearly about to share a particularly juicy bit of information. "Apparently, Kakashi even asked for _time off_. Supposedly 'to get settled'. Whatever that’s supposed to mean. The chuunin at the mission desk about fainted from shock."

Genma just blinks.

And, yeah, something is _definitely_ going on with Hatake. He's absolutely sure of it.

Don't get him wrong. Genma and Kakashi aren't particularly close, not at all. Despite the two of them having once spent quite a bit of their time hanging around the Namikaze household, over the last couple of years they’ve just… drifted apart. Or rather, they did everything they possibly could to avoid each other. If only, because seeing each other only served to remind them of the almost-home they had both lost during the Kyuubi’s attack.

Genma hadn’t even been surprised when the grey haired kid's conclusion to losing Minato was to throw all of himself at any mission put in front of him.

Well, not so much a 'kid' anymore, seeing as he is what... eighteen now? But Genma hasn't seen Hatake in what must be literal years now, can't recall seeing him over the past couple of months at all.

So, he is very much still a fifteen year old kid in his mind.

As much as he knows that after three years of treading through the dregs of society, of cleaning up Konoha's messes, of killing and lying and betraying everything but Konoha itself, there likely isn't much of the kid Genma used to know left at this point.

Kakashi has actually made quite the name for himself despite his age, and despite the rather limited number of missions he takes that don't involve him skipping around in his ANBU mask, his face and name is still one everyone seems to recognize.

Of course, no one is even supposed to know the identity of those who are in ANBU. But that's quite simply a luxury only afforded to those who aren't already well-known before they join, shinobi who weren't trained by the Hokage himself.

So, when Hatake's name had simply disappeared from the jounin mission roster barely days after the Kyuubi attack, they'd all known what that meant.

ANBU.

Everyone knows that something in Kakashi broke when the Fourth and Kushina died.

Well, that kind of holds true for every single shinobi in Konoha - losing a Hokage, there is nothing that could have possibly prepared them for the pain, the shame, the regret - but Kakashi, who'd based all he was, anchored everything about his entire existence in Minato and Kushina and the family they had offered him so freely, for _him_ it had been even worse.

With their death, something in the grey haired kid just seemed to break.

Ever since he joined ANBU, Kakashi has been going on mission after mission, too good at his job to not be used, sent out near constantly to fix Konoha's various problems in the world. And last Genma heard, he had a perfect mission record. He very much doubts that to have changed recently. One of the best weapons in Konoha’s arsenal.

And even if they had chosen different paths, Kakashi throwing himself into ANBU – anything to get out of the village, away from the memories, but still protecting his home to the best of his ability from outside threats – while Genma had done the opposite and stuck around, trying to rebuild Konoha from within. They still have one thing in common.

They’d do anything to protect their village.

So, Genma had been absolutely sure that only a direct order from the Hokage himself would ever get Kakashi to _stop_ throwing himself at missions.

For him to do that of his own free will...

Yeah, Genma is definitely suspicious.

+++

He goes snooping the very next night.

Or rather, he sneaks into the jounin office, finds Kakashi’s file, notes down his - newly registered - address, and then promptly proceeds to sneak into said apartment.

Well, he _tries_ to sneak in at least, even makes it onto the window ledge.

However, he is rather effectively stopped in his tracks by a kunai whistling through the air, thunking into the wood of to the window frame he is sneaking through, mere millimeters from his fingers, another embedding itself into the floor, exactly where Genma was just about to set his foot and step off the windowsill.

It's a rather clear warning against taking so much as another step, lest he actually wants to start losing digits. Or possibly even lose limbs, going by the rather unimpressed expression on Kakashi’s face, where he is standing in the shadows of the hallway leading to the living room that Genma had been trying to sneak into.

Genma blinks at him.

Hatake blinks back, looking utterly relaxed as he raises a questioning eyebrow in that casually dismissive way of his that tells everyone he honestly couldn't care less about the answer.

Somehow, his so very apparent nonchalance still in no way diminishes the obvious – if unspoken – threat.

Well, Genma should have known that – his own truly not negligible skills aside – there was no way he’d be able to actually sneak past Kakashi. Not after he spent a few years in ANBU, not after just having returned from a six months long undercover mission in Kumo and only having gotten back to Konoha barely two weeks ago.

There is just no way Kakashi could possibly have already switched off that constant alertness that is part and parcel of undercover missions, the watchfulness, the paranoia born from spending such an extended amount of time in enemy territory.

Better remind the man of the fact that he is in fact back home now, surrounded by friends and comrades and allies.

And, yeah, 'man'. Because Hatake is _definitely_ not a kid anymore.

Dear chakra, even from where Genma is still hovering by the window he can tell that Hatake has grown quite a bit since he saw him last, is possibly even taller than Genma now. And when in the world did _that_ happen?

Still, Genma gives a jaunty little wave as he greets cheerfully, "Hatake." He makes sure to appear just as nonchalant as Kakashi himself. As though he weren't currently frozen in place in a rather awkward position, halfway sitting on the windowsill, his right foot hovering mere centimeters from touching down on the floor in front of the window.

Kakashi just nods back, but aside from that doesn't move so much as a muscle, remaining right where he is, standing in the doorway to the living room. Between Genma and the rest of the apartment.

And the reason for that becomes perfectly clear only moments later, when Genma’s focus is diverted by a sudden - and rather unexpected – noise from down the hall leading off behind Kakashi, a door opening, soft steps coming closer.

Genma blinks. Because he somehow hadn't expected Kakashi to be anything but alone.

And then, he is utterly speechless when – a bare second later – a small shadow appears right next to Hatake's leg.

" 'Kashi-nii?" the figure asks sleepily.

It’s the figure of a small child. A child Genma definitely knows. A child who Genma would _swear_ is Naruto Uzumaki, the Fourth kid, who the entirety of Konoha's shinobi corps have been forbidden to approach, or talk to, or let in on his parentage, or inform about his status as a jinchuuriki, or even tell him just why it is that the entire village seems to utterly despise a child of not-even-three years yet.

Naruto who _isn't supposed to be here_.

But who Kakashi just glances at calmly, before he is simply bending down slightly, easily lifting the boy and settling him on his hip.

There is definitely something slightly awkward about the way Hatake holds the kid, so very clearly unfamiliar with holding a small child. But by the way the boy is promptly tucking himself as close as he can possibly get to the man, the kid doesn't seem the least bit bothered by the somewhat awkward hold.

Genma himself is far too stupefied at sight in front of him to do anything but stare. Even when Hatake throws him a bland – but somehow still bone-chillingly threatening glance – before once more focusing on the child.

Well, Genma isn't fooled into thinking that most of Kakashi’s attention isn't still on _him_ , on the intruder in his living room, the intruder who just figured something out he definitely wasn’t supposed to know.

There is a clear threat vibrating in the air around the man, telling Genma that even if he were inclined to make some sort of fuss – if he weren't so utterly stupefied by what he is seeing – he’d likely regret so much as opening his mouth right now.

"What are you doing awake?" Kakashi just asks one Naruto Uzumaki.

The little boy just blinks slowly before tilting forward, leaning his head against a conveniently located shoulder. "I had a... dream," the little boy whispers. Not nearly quietly enough to escape Genma's hearing. But disturbingly there is also something so desperately careful, so cautious about the boy as he so clearly avoids using the term 'nightmare'.

"Ah," Kakashi just nods full of understanding, a slight grimace flitting over his face. And in a show of perfectly straightforwardness adds on, "Dreaming sucks."

Which, Genma can agree, it really does. Shinobi very rarely have anything nice to dream about, not without their dreams also being invaded by blood and death and gore. 

Still, children - much less those barely three years of age - certainly shouldn't have the same problem as full-grown shinobi.

"Hm," the child just hums in agreement, clearly well on his way to nodding off against the man's shoulder once more.

And Genma is still blinking at the sight in front of him.

Hatake Kakashi holding little Naruto - the Fourth's kid, _Kushina's_ kid - leisurely on his hip. Acting as though there weren't anything _wrong_ with this, as though there were no a decree from the Sandaime himself, forbidding all of them from so much as _talking_ to the child.

Genma just watches as the kid clearly falls asleep again, so obviously feeling utterly safe where he is tucked against Kakashi right now, watches as the man holds perfectly still until the kid's breathing has once more evened out.

He just watches as the man throws him another threatening glance, clearly telling him to stay put, before he turns to carefully navigate his way down the hall, into the room Naruto appeared from a couple of minutes ago.

Well, it’s not like Genma has _any_ intention of going anywhere.

"Hatake," Genma finds himself whispering rather urgently, finally having regained his ability to speak once the other man reappeared without one Naruto Uzumaki held on his hip.

The man is standing a couple of steps away from him, still between Genma and the hallway leading to the rest of the apartment, face blank, nothing about his thoughts or feelings to be gleaned from his expression.

Well, the threat is still there, something about his posture telling Genma that he is treading on rather dangerous ground. Still, he feels like he needs to remind the other man that purposely being in contact with Naruto is an actual, _punishable_ offense. By _law_.

"We're not-" he starts.

But he doesn't get any further than that.

Suddenly, the look in Hatake's eyes changes, the nonchalance vanishing abruptly, something dark bleeding into his gaze instead, as he focuses sharply on Genma.

He feels rather abruptly reminded of the fact that there is a _reason_ why Hatake has been on missions near constantly ever since the Kyuubi's attack. No matter what else you might want to say about him, Hatake is also one of the very best Konoha has.

It's one of those things Genma used to resent him for when they were both teenagers. Kakashi being a couple of years younger than him but still so much _better_ in every single thing related to being a shinobi, seemingly without even trying. To his fifteen year old self, it had been rather vexing to watch a twelve year old beat him at pretty much _everything_.

Well, these days he's long since gotten past the fact that there are always going to be some people in the world who are stronger, faster, _better_. And for Genma, Kakashi is simply one of those.

And going by the not-so-veiled threat glinting in Kakashi's eyes, that little fact might actually be a good thing to keep in mind throughout this conversation. Yeah.

There silence between them stretches.

Then, Kakashi’s finally shifts the slightest bit, somehow turning his previously so threatening stance into one of utterly careless relaxation, his visible eye curving into a smile above his mask as he intones with a ridiculous - and rather obviously _fake_ \- amount of cheer, " _I_ _know_."

Nothing else. Just those two words. Barely any inflection in them.

But there is so much weight in that response, more than enough to show the wealth of anger, the bone-deep disappointment, the devastating, powerless _wrath_ behind those two words that Genma almost finds himself flinching backwards.

Because Kakashi apparently _knows_ about the laws pertaining to one Naruto Uzumaki. And he also _couldn't care less_.

The knowledge that Kakashi must have come home from his last mission a couple of weeks ago, must have somehow come across Naruto - witnessed what every Konoha ninja is forced to witness almost every day but is powerless to do anything about because of the Sandaime's damn laws - and then apparently decided that he simply wasn't going to go along with it.

The realization almost takes the breath out of Genma's lungs. Feels like a thousand senbon sticking out of his throat. Like being gutted with a rusty kunai.

The _most_ Genma has done so far whenever he has witnessed anyone mistreating Naruto in any way is to get revenge, sometimes even rather brutally, depending on the offense. But he has never done anything beyond that.

Because of the law. A law written by the Sandaime.

And now, here is Kakashi.

Kakashi who knows just as well that he isn't supposed to go near Naruto. Knows he is supposed to just watch as the civilians more-or-less spit on the child of their last Hokage, on the sacrifice that was made _for_ _them_. Knows he is supposed to do nothing to help.

He _knows_. And he simply doesn't care.

Because Kakashi apparently decided that his loyalty to the Fourth and the legacy Minato left behind in order to protect _them all_ , is worth just as much to him - _if not more than_ \- anything the Third might decree now.

Genma breathes out, breathes past the lump in his throat.

Before, finally, he nods at Kakashi, fairly certain that the man has been able to read everything that is going through Genma’s head on his face, the shame, the regret, the acceptance.

And then, Genma turns around and leaves. Without saying another word.

+++

He is back the next morning.

Well, he leaves for all of six hours and then promptly comes back at a time that has any right to be called 'morning' at all.

He also comes bearing breakfast. For all three of them.

Because he'll be damned if he is going to just ignore the fact that - _in contrast to him_ \- someone else had the courage and loyalty to stand against the Sandaime in order to remain true to Minato, the Yondaime. _Their Hokage_.

If Kakashi can tell the law to screw off, well, then Genma is damn well going to join him.

Because Kushina was as much Genma's family, as Minato was Kakashi's. And family is supposed to eat breakfast together, aren't they?

His decision not to show up empty-handed might also have something to do with the fact that he is hoping to more or less buy himself a non-kunai-threatened entrance into Kakashi's place. A peace offering really seems like a good idea.

Naruto at the very least seems to adore him for it.

All things considered, that particular morning turns out quite a bit more entertaining than Genma would have thought.

Just the image of Kakashi wandering into his kitchen, shirtless but his mask already on, hair a mess, a barely awake Naruto once more held on his hip, the child clearly unwilling to let go of the man for even a moment, the two of them blinking at Genma and the prepared breakfast on the table with equally - and rather adorably - bleary-eyed expressions...

Not that Genma is suicidal enough to mention his thoughts on said adorableness out loud.

If only because it’s likely to get him skewered by multiple kunai - courtesy of a certain silver-haired, newly reinstated jounin - and then getting to watch the two Hatakes cheerfully devour the breakfast Genma brought, while he slowly bleeds out on the kitchen floor.

And if the particularly adorable image of watching a half-dressed, half-awake Kakashi trying to feed an even-less-awake Naruto in the morning is also one of the main reasons that motivates Genma into making this a regular thing from now on…

Genma hides his grin behind his tea as Kakashi almost absently reaches out to save Naruto's miso soup from spilling across the table as the kid once more nods off right where he is sitting, for the third time just this morning.

And finally, Kakashi just sighs resignedly, even as he is reaching out to simply pull the kid into his lap, apparently willing to let Naruto have another ten-minute nap before they really have to get going, wearing a perfectly put-upon expression but also cheerfully ignoring Naruto's prompt and barely hidden victorious grin as the kid immediately curls into Kakashi’s chest once more, apparently rather smug at having succeeded at getting himself another few minutes of cuddle time with his ‘Kashi-nii.

Genma feels his own grin widen at the sight.

Yeah.

He is so absolutely not commenting on any of it and also keeping his mouth shut about it to everyone else.

Not only to avoid the repercussions in case the Sandaime finds out, but also so no one _else_ gets the bright idea of wanting to join them for breakfast, if only to enjoy the spectacle.

Because this is family time. And everyone else can just stay the fuck out.

+++

Of course, this being Konoha and all, it doesn't actually take very long for the rest of the jounin to catch on as well.

It’s not even because they go snooping like Genma did, or because they are particularly clever and figure it out on their own. No, they don't even get the chance.

Because one random afternoon. Kakashi is called in for an emergency rescue mission and seeing as he is supposed to leave the moment he gets his orders, but can't leave without making sure someone is looking after Naruto, he decides Genma – as the only one in the know – will simply have to do.

Although, why the man doesn’t send him a message via nin-dog to let him know about the emergency Genma will never know.

Instead, the man just shows up at the jounin center with Naruto, cheerfully ignoring the blatant staring from everyone else as he transfers the kid to Genma's arms – Naruto just cheerfully climbing on without so much as a comment – and then barely pauses for another second to announce, "Mission. Gotta go." Before his eyes narrow at Genma. "Not one hair," he threatens.

And then he's just gone in a whoosh of leaves.

Leaving Genma in the middle of the jounin center, little Naruto in his arms, surrounded by friends and colleagues, all of them wide-eyed and none of them having been aware of Kakashi having decided to take in the Yondaime's kid, irreverent of any laws forbidding him from doing just that.

There is a pause as the other jounin blink at him, then at Naruto, then at Genma again. He sees Raidou opening his mouth, clearly about to say something.

And Genma decides that, _yeah, no_.

He's so not braving this in Kakashi's stead. The man can very well deal with the other jounin's probing questions himself. Or at the very least _join_ him.

Instead, he just grins down at Naruto, whose bright, sunny grin up at him tugs at Genma’s heart every time he sees it. "Hold on tight, kid," he grins.

And then he's off on a mad dash across the roofs.

Sure, Genma knows that at least Raidou and Hayate and _damn Shikaku himself_ will figure out any of his possible hiding places no matter where he goes, but he'll be damned if he actually sticks around and faces the _entirety_ of the Konoha jounin corps and their overly curious questioning by himself.

He wouldn't even put it past Kakashi to have purposely waited until a moment just like this - where Kakashi is out of the village and thus unavailable for questioning himself - to let everyone else in on him having taken Naruto in, leaving the interrogation for Genma to deal with. Quite likely even in a sort-of revenge for Genma having snuck into his apartment a few weeks back and thereby having come across Naruto at all.

No, Genma wouldn't put that sort of cheerful, passive-aggressive vindictiveness past the man _at_ _all_.

So, even as he takes another sharp corner in their mad escape, Naruto squealing delightedly in his ear, grin spreading over Genma's own face at the sound, he has already resigned himself to being pestered with endless questions by his friends, just as soon as they catch up.

_Honestly, the things you do for family._

**Author's Note:**

> So, no clue why I switched POVs for this, much less why it ended up being specifically Genma's POV. And I haven't actually seen all that much of the anime, so I have no idea whether canon ever mentions anything about Genma and Kakashi's relationship or not. Thus, I’m simply claiming creative license for that entire bit :)
> 
> Would absolutely love to know what you think :D


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